Day: November 15, 2023

Pro-Palestinian Demonstrators Tussle with Police Outside DNC Headquarters

Just the News

A group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators clashed with police on Wednesday evening outside of the Democratic National Committee headquarters demanding a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza.

The ongoing conflict erupted in the wake of an Oct. 7 Hamas raid that saw its forces storm Israeli border towns, seize roughly 200 hostages, and kill about 1,200 civilians. The Israel Defense Forces have since mounted retaliatory strikes on Gaza and moved into the region to depose Hamas. The Israeli invasion has prompted significant international backlash due to concerns that Jerusalem’s tactics are conducive to civilian casualties in the densely populated area.

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Hunter Biden Asks Judge to Subpoena Donald Trump, Ex-Justice Department Officials in Criminal Case

Just the News

First son Hunter Biden on Wednesday asked the federal judge presiding over his criminal case in Delaware to approve subpoenas of former President Donald Trump and his former top Justice Department officials as he argues that his investigation was the result of “incessant, improper, and partisan pressure” from the former president and his allies. 

The court filing asked U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika, a Trump appointee, to subpoena the former president, former Attorney General Bill Barr, former acting Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue and former acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, according to NBC News. 

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Dr. Malone: Pfizer and Moderna Committed Fraud by Not Disclosing to Regulators COVID Jabs Contaminated with DNA Fragments

Admin

Pfizer and Moderna’s lack of transparency regarding DNA contamination in its COVID-19 shots “meets the criteria for evidence of fraud,” according to the doctor who invented the mRNA vaccine technology upon which the products are based.

“They [Pfizer and Moderna] absolutely did know about the existence of SV40 sequences,” vaccinologist Dr. Robert Malone told Republican lawmakers during a livestream House hearing Monday. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) led the event to examine injuries and deaths caused by COVID-19 vaccinations.

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Michael Patrick Leahy: Antisemitism at MTSU Enabled by Administration and Faculty Adviser to School Newspaper

Tom Pappert

Michael Patrick Leahy, the editor-in-chief of The Tennessee Star and CEO of The Star News Network, warned Dan Mandis of SuperTalk 99.7 WTN that the administration of Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) and the student advisor of the school newspaper, Sidelines, have enabled antisemitism on the university’s campus.

Tennessee legislators at the state and federal level continue to decry the MTSU student newspaper’s decision to pull an article written by former editor Matthew Giffin, who Leahy explained wrote a “straightforward” story about an MTSU student originally from Tel Aviv.

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New York Post Op-Ed: It’s Time to Declare War on Campus Hate as Shocking Antisemitism Explodes

Admin

New York Post Even as war continues to rage in Gaza, there already is much talk about the “day after,” meaning what happens there when the guns go quiet. The chatter assumes Israel will rout Hamas and that a new entity will fill the governing vacuum.  Finding a solution is a huge challenge and while America will have a big say, there is another “day after” issue also demanding our attention. It involves the shocking explosion of antisemitism on elite college campuses.  READ THE FULL COMMENTARY        

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Tennessee U.S. Rep. Kustoff’s Bill Would Revoke Tax-Exempt Status for Organizations Financially Supporting Hamas, Other Terrorist Groups

M.D. Kittle

U.S. Rep. David Kustoff (R-TN-08) joined Congressman Brad Schneider (D-IL) in introducing legislation to revoke the tax-exempt status for any organization that provides financial support or resources to designated terrorist groups such as Hamas.

The bipartisan bill would amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to terminate the tax-exempt status of terrorist supporting organizations.

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FBI Working with Knoxville Police to Crack ‘Anti-Trans Banner’ Case

Peter D'Abrosca

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has reportedly been called in to help the Knoxville Police Department (KPD) solve a pressing case involving a banner being left outside the Knox Pride Center.

On Monday morning, according to a police report filed by a complainant named John Camp, someone hung a banner outside the Knox Pride Center reading “Kill Count 3 Whites Kids 3 White Adults.”

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Migrant Encounters at the Southern Border Remain at Record Levels in October

Admin

Federal authorities recorded 240,988 migrant encounters at the southern border in October, sustaining record highs seen under the Biden administration, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data released Tuesday.

The number of encounters along the southern border in September totaled 269,735, marking the highest month on record. CBP recorded 232,963 and 183,479 encounters in August and July, respectively, according to agency data.

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Report: Tennessee’s Lee and Group Spent $117K in Paris, Italy for TNECD Trip

The Center Square

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee spent more than $117,000 of taxpayer funds over a six-day economic development trip earlier this year, The Tennessean reported.

The group went to Paris and Bologna, Italy while promoting the Paris Air Show with a group that included six state employees, two of their wives and two members of the governor’s security detail, the newspaper reported.

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U.S. Rep. DesJarlais Commends Former Middle Tennessee State University Student Newspaper Editor for Standing Up to Terrorists

M.D. Kittle

U.S. Representative Scott DesJarlais (R-TN-04) told The Tennessee Star that today’s media needs more reporters like Matthew Giffin.

Giffin resigned his position as editor-in-chief of Sidelines, Middle Tennessee State University’s student digital newspaper, after he said the publication’s editorial board caved into pressure by anti-Israel students who opposed his story profiling a MTSU student concerned about his friends in Tel Aviv.

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Bill May Force Ohio Contractors to Verify Immigration Status

The Center Square

Contractors and larger employers in Ohio could soon be required to verify the immigration status of employers based on a proposed new law.

Reps. Scott Wiggam, R-Wayne County, and D.J. Swearingen, R-Huron, recently introduced legislation that would make contractors and subcontractors verify the immigration status of employees to work on public works construction projects.

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Fani Willis Asks for Emergency Evidence Seal After Leak of Jenna Ellis Video in Georgia Trump Trial

Tom Pappert

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis made an emergency request for Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee to seal all evidence in the racketeering case against former President Donald Trump and those who helped him contest the 2020 election. Willis made the filing on Tuesday, less than one day after the leak of an interview her office held with attorney Jenna Ellis, who accepted a plea deal in October.

Willis argued the leak of Ellis’ interview was “clearly intended to intimidate witnesses” by “subjecting them to harassment and threats prior to trial,” and noted that its release would represent a violation of the defendants’ bail.

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Georgia Lawsuit on Alleged Weakness in Dominion Machines Set for Trial, with a Push for Paper Ballots

Just the News

A 2017 lawsuit in Georgia regarding alleged vulnerabilities in Dominion Voting Systems machines is set for trial in January, following the public release of a report on the possible issues earlier this year.

The Atlanta Division of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia is hearing the case of Curling v. Raffensperger, where the plaintiffs are asking to switch from electronic voting machines to paper ballots. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) and State Election Board members were first sued by the Coalition for Good Governance and several individual voters in 2017.

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Poll: Trump Leads Biden by Eight Points in Arizona, Buoyed by Independent Support

Tom Pappert

Former President Donald Trump continues to lead President Joe Biden in Arizona, according to a new poll released by Arizona pollster Noble Predictive Insights on Tuesday.

Conducted between October 25 and October 31, the poll found Trump leads Biden by 8 percentage points. 46 percent of Arizona voters support Trump, while 38 percent support Biden, and 16 percent told pollsters they were unsure. Trump’s lead was well outside the margin of error, which pollsters reported to be 3.1 percent.

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Commentary: The Department of Defense Needs to Defend Our Border

Admin

Thomas Friedman recently said something interesting: “The euphoric rampage of Oct. 7 that killed some 1,400 soldiers and civilians has not only hardened Israeli hearts toward the suffering of Gaza civilians. It has also inflicted a deep sense of humiliation and guilt on the Israeli Army and defense establishment, for having failed in their most basic mission of protecting the country’s borders.”

The humiliation and guilt do not seem universal. Our military and defense leadership do not seem to feel any responsibility for the border crisis. They certainly feel no shame for this egregious and ongoing insult to American sovereignty. For them, the military is reserved for events around the globe, even though most of these far-flung campaigns have only a tangential relationship to actual American security.

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Yet Another Billionaire Donor Demands University of Pennsylvania Fix Its Anti-Semitism Problem

Admin

Influential donors have been retracting their support from the University of Pennsylvania, citing concerns over anti-Semitism on campus following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel. Now, billionaire Len Blavatnik, a philanthropist and noteworthy figure in the business world, has joined the growing list of benefactors expressing discontent with the university’s handling campus anti-Semitism.

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YoungkinWatch: Democrat Memo Claims Party Won Virginia Because of Focus on Governor’s ‘Presidential Ambitions’

Tom Pappert

A memo released by the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) on Monday credited Virginia Democrats’ recent electoral victories to the party’s commitment to state issues that impact voters in the Commonwealth of Virginia, primarily abortion, as well as the media’s simultaneous focus on the “presidential ambitions” of Governor Glenn Youngkin (R).

In the memo, DLCC Interim President Heather Williams wrote, “while national pundits focused on Governor Youngkin and his presidential ambitions,” Democrats sought to make the election “about state power and the future” of abortion.

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Six Companies Get $7 Million from Minnesota for Business Expansion

The Center Square

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development will give $7.45 million in business expansion funding expected to create 430 jobs.

The funding comes from DEED’s Job Creation Fund and Minnesota Investment Fund. The Job Creation Fund provides financial incentives to new and expanding businesses that meet certain job creation and capital investment targets. Eligible companies may receive up to $2 million for creating or retaining high-paying jobs and for constructing or renovating facilities or making other property improvements.

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State Bar of Arizona Finds Probable Cause in Investigation of Kari Lake’s Attorney, He Expects to Be Disbarred

Rachel Alexander

The State Bar of Arizona is pursuing charges against Kari Lake’s attorney, Bryan Blehm, not merely investigating complaints filed by others. The Arizona Bar told him it has already found probable cause to continue its proceedings against him, which means it will likely result in disbarment. The charges accuse Blehm of violating five ethical rules frequently used as catchall rules to disbar attorneys.

Kari Lake told The Arizona Sun Times, “I will represent myself before I drop the case. [Attorney] Kurt [Olsen] and Bryan are heroes.”

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Miyares’ PAC Targets 2024 Prosecutor Races Across the Country

The Center Square

A PAC founded by Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares supported some winning prosecutorial candidates in the most recent elections, and plans to keep building momentum throughout 2024.

The mission of the Protecting Americans Action Fund is to help conservative, “enforce-the-law” prosecutors defeat liberal, “social justice” prosecutors – often backed by billionaire and Democratic financier George Soros – in elections to state offices across the country. 

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Biden Admin Unveils New Tools to Counter Antisemitism, Islamophobia in Schools

Admin

The Biden administration announced new resources on Tuesday to counter antisemitism and Islamophobia at schools across the U.S. following the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel, according to a White House press release.

College students signed letters blaming Israel for the Hamas terrorist attacks and multiple student groups led pro-Palestinian protests with imagery associated with violence against Israel. The White House released a series of guides and resources to “help protect students, engage school and university leaders, and foster safe and supportive learning environments.”

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Nearly 60 Percent of Muslim Americans Polled Say Hamas Is ‘Somewhat Justified’ in Israel Attack

The Center Square

As pro-Palestinian protestors descended on Austin and other cities over the weekend, following a “day-of-rage” protests last month, a new poll reveals that a majority of Muslim-Americans surveyed – 57.5% – think the Islamic terrorist organization Hamas “was justified in attacking Israel as part of their struggle for a Palestinian state.”

Hamas, the acronym for Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya (Islamic Resistance Movement), was designated by the U.S. State Department as a foreign terrorist organization in 1997. “It is the largest and most capable militant group in the Palestinian territories and one of the territories’ two major political parties,” according to the National Counterterrorism Center.

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Commentary: The General Education Act Renews Liberal Education in America

RealClearWire

On Nov. 16, the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C., the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal in North Carolina, and the National Association of Scholars in New York City (I serve on the board) will host online, Recentering our Universities, to release to the public The General Education Act. The GEA is a detailed model bill directing the establishment of Schools of General Education at public universities. Written by EPPC’s Stanley Kurtz, the Martin Center’s Jenna Robinson, and NAS’s David Randall, the model legislation sets forth guiding principles, basic courses, institutional structure, funding exigencies, and a timetable for implementation of centers of true liberal education.

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Weed Advocates Are Ramping Up Lobbying Efforts and Notching Wins

Admin

Marijuana legalization advocates are hiring more lobbyists and otherwise ramping up their efforts to influence drug policy on Capitol Hill.

The weed industry’s lobbying efforts increased significantly between the first and second quarters of 2023, rising from $1.04 million to $1.39 million. Cannabis Freedom Alliance, a coalition of groups seeking to end federal prohibitions on weed, recently hired the Bose Public Affairs Group to lobby Congress on marijuana reform issues, according to lobbying disclosures.

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October Inflation Rate 3.2 Percent, Unchanged from Previous Month and Above Target Rate: Feds

Just the News

The seasonally adjusted inflation rate for October 2023 remained unchanged from the previous month and sits at 3.2%, according to the Labor Department’s Consumer Price Index Report released Tuesday. 

The rate increased by 3.2%, compared to October 2022. In September, inflation was at 3.7% compared to the same time the previous year.

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